Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter nineteen of 'Gone in the Dark.' This chapter has plenty of Jake/Neytiri. The next chapter will have the first smutty scene. Stay tuned for chapter twenty.
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Chapter 19: Peaceful Walk in the Forest
Polyphemus hung just above the rainforest around midevening. A gentle wind went through the trees. This made their leaves rustle. A hexapede moved slowly through the undergrowth. It stopped next to a bush and sniffed the leaves. It grabbed a mouthful of them and proceeded to chew. It moved its hindquarter back somewhat.
Footsteps caught the hexapede's attention. It spotted Jake and Neytiri walking hand-in-hand not far from it. It swallowed before grabbing more leaves. He pushed a branch aside. They looked around, their hearts skipping a beat or two. They listened to the squawking of dorado verdes and growling of viperwolves. They sighed in much content.
"It's loud in the forest tonight," he said.
"It sure is," she agreed. "I miss the walks we used to take at night in the forest back home."
"I miss them as much as you do," Jake responded with a soft chuckle. "It's good to know we have a forest to walk in here."
"It has many of the same animals on the mainland. They are just smaller versions. They are of different colors too," Neytiri added, her ear twitching twice.
"The emerald yerik is the same size as the common yerik, but it looks completely different. It has a narrower snout. Its fans are green and yellow. Its body is purple with patterns. Its legs are longer," Jake explained.
"Its adaptations enable it to survive in the Wetlands," Neytiri pointed out and suppressed a yawn.
"With such thick muck, you would need to have long legs to get out of it," Jake commented.
"It is very thick," Neytiri admitted and pulled a braid behind her ear. "Even with long legs, animals can still get trapped."
"Saber-toothed cats would kill mammoths that got stuck in tar pits. Sometimes, they fell victim to the pits themselves," Jake said truthfully.
"Risk is everywhere. Even stepping outside a home can be risky," Neytiri whispered with a blink of her eyes.
"Yeah," Jake said with a nod. "You never know what risk you may run into."
Jake and Neytiri looked up to see three dorade verdes sitting on an overhanging tree branch. The trio raised their heads and squawked loudly. They spread their wings and took flight. The couple passed underneath the branch. They suppressed yawns.
"We had such a long day," Jake mumbled and sighed heavily.
"We had to deal with eight new patients. Three were seriously injured. One had an infected wound," Neytiri mumbled sadly.
"Thank Eywa that Keye'txon had not developed sepsis. Max, Ronal, and Mo'at are keeping an eye on him. He told us he would let us know if anything happens to him. Norm, Maureen, and the Avatar Team are on standby at High Camp in case more patients come in," Jake said, tightening his grip on her hand.
"I imagine them having a drink in their human forms and discussing today's events," Neytiri suggested.
He snorted. "I imagine that too."
"Lo'ak did an excellent job of inserting that needle into Keye'txon's arm," Neytiri whispered in amazement. "For the first time, that is."
"He's done so well in giving medical care to every one of his patients that I felt it was time for him to learn something a little more difficult," Jake commented, smiling.
"But inserting a needle isn't difficult at all," Neytiri pointed out.
"Finding a vein to insert the needle can be challenging. The arm has to be tightened with a rubber wrap. Then you have to feel around until you find the vein," Jake explained.
"I've seen this feat performed so many times over the last nineteen years that I have lost count," Neytiri said.
"I feel the same way, especially when those years are combined with my time in the military," Jake answered and cleared his throat.
She nodded at him. "Of course."
He placed his arm around her shoulder and gave her a small hug. She slipped her arms around his waist. He couldn't help but chuckle. She looked up at him with raised eye ridges.
"Let me guess. We are doing the same move as Richard and Lilli did," Neytiri suggested.
"Yes, we are," Jake said, smiling in a big way. "Who would've thought we would do it twice in one day?"
"Not to mention we are taking a second walk. It is at night this time," Neytiri pointed out.
"It is in a forest as well," Jake added, giving her a wink.
"Yeah," Neytiri agreed.
The couple came to a stop and looked around. They let go of each other. Jake glanced at Neytiri mischievously. He squeezed her neck, making her yelp. She curled her hand into a fist. He waved his hand in front of her face. He raised his hand high, jerking it downward. She gave his cheek a light slap. He rushed two fingers forward. She blocked him by putting her hand sideways between her eyes. She pushed his downward with a small grunt. They smiled at each other.
"You remember when I taught you that Three Stooges routine?" he wondered.
"Yes, I do," she admitted. "I was so confused by it. You explained it was a way that humans played around. You mentioned The Three Stooges and showed me clips from it at Hell's Gate."
"That has always been one of my favorites as a kid growing up," Jake said and grabbed her wrist. He curled her hand into a fist and proceeded to press it against her cheek repeatedly. "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!"
"Very funny," Neytiri commented while pulling herself out of his grasp. She ruffled his dreads. He laughed at her swatting his hand aside. "I wonder who came up with the stop-hitting-yourself game."
Jake shrugged. "Beats me. It is known for being used in many movies and TV shows. Of course, it is done in other ways."
Neytiri tickled his chin. "I do not want think about that right now. I want to think about something else."
Jake kissed his mate's lips twice. He touched her cheek and stroked it with his thumb in a very light manner. He patted it gently before taking her hand into his.
"I remember all the times we sat by the waterfall pool back in the forest," Neytiri whispered in much sweetness.
"We can do that here too," Jake replied, giving her a kiss on the tip of her nose. "The waterfall pools look a lot like the one from Return to the Blue Lagoon."
"Richard and Lilli did a bit of their swimming in that waterfall pool," Neytiri said and rubbed her nose. "After Lilli woke up with her first menstrual period, she went there to wash some clothes. Richard came to see her. She asked if he remembered Sarah telling her about becoming a woman. He admitted he did. She revealed she had become one. He looked quite thrilled."
"Richard woke up with an erection the next morning. Lilli wanted to see it, but he wouldn't let her because he was embarrassed. He yelled about how nothing was the way it used to be. They got into an argument regarding privacy and their late mother's rules," Jake explained.
"Richard went off to the other side of the island one night," Neytiri commented and bit her lip. "He discovered a group of natives used the altar to sacrifice conquered enemies every full moon. He camouflaged himself with mud and hid from them. Lilli worried about his disappearance. He got away unscathed, but a lone native saw him. When he returned to her, she begged him to never leave her again. They made up from their fight and realized they were in love. He said he wanted them to be husband and wife. She agreed. They exchanged wedding vows and rings the next day."
He sighed in content. "It was a beautiful moment. I think more marriages would last longer if human couples would focus on the work that goes into them instead of trying to impress people with their weddings."
"You told me couples will split at the first sign of trouble. They want perfect relationships like in movies and stories," Neytiri mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Relationships aren't problem-free. They can go through lots of rough patches."
"You have to be willing to work through those patches. Unfortunately, many couples don't want to even try. They break up instead," Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Mom knew several women who divorced their husbands as soon as they got bored with them. Two were divorced five times in nine years."
"Those women were crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if they made their ex-husbands or ex-mates out to be really bad men. Then their future spouses vowed to protect them," Neytiri exclaimed.
"Oh, all that happened," Jake said, scoffing in anger. "When they demanded a split, their boyfriends and husbands were shocked. They asked why. Their girlfriends and wives simply said they were bored with them and found something better."
"What bitches," Neytiri muttered, shuddering in disgust.
"You said it," Jake said, nodding sharply. "People shouldn't get married or mated if they can't get along. Their constant fighting would make each other miserable. If they had any children, it would affect them too."
She kissed his nose. "Children of splits often don't come out unscathed. Their parents continue to be at each other's throats, especially when it comes to how they should raise them."
Jake pressed his lips together. He recalled stories people told him about their divorced friends having arguments on how to raise their children. He remembered three sets of parents dragging each other into family court over stupid stuff such as what movies their children could watch and who would take them trick-or-treating. He knew they couldn't care less about their well-being and that they only cared about being right.
Jake touched Neytiri's forehead before slipping a braid behind her ear. They spotted a viperwolf moving along an overhanging branch. It stopped in its tracks and lifted its head. It sniffed the air while blinking three times. It bobbed its head before emitting a soft growl. It looked down at the ground. They couldn't help but smile.
"We are so lucky to be able to watch rainforest animals move around," he commented.
"Yes, we are," she agreed.
"Earth's rainforests contained many plant and animal species. Nearly all of them are extinct now," Jake replied.
"I can't imagine how many unknown species went extinct before they could be discovered by scientists," Neytiri whispered with a frown.
"In many cases, they discovered new species of plants and animals when they learned something new about the rainforest," Jake said, cupping his chin in his hand. He sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, some species were already endangered by the time they received names."
"Talk about sick," Neytiri commented in disgust.
"At the rate Earth's rainforests were being cut down, it was very difficult to discover new species," Jake muttered sadly and felt his body shake some.
"Scientists are still learning about the animals and plants here. There are species of both we have never known," Neytiri pointed out truthfully.
"The indigenous tribes that relied on rainforests for their very survival had nowhere to go after they were destroyed," Jake mumbled, lowering his ears in sadness.
"We managed to create homes of own after Old Hometree was destroyed. They were nice, but it wasn't exactly the same," Neytiri answered gently.
"It irks me 'civilized' people said the indigenous could just adapt to the modern world. It can be downright difficult for isolated groups to adjust to something new," Jake pointed out bluntly. "Many indigenous tribes didn't want to modernize. They wanted to be left alone."
"Like us," Neytiri said.
"It is hard to feel sorry for people who entered their off-limits territories with the intention of preaching about the modern world and ended up getting killed," Jake hissed in fierceness. "I do feel sorry for their families, though."
"I do too," Neytiri agreed. "Let's resume walking. It won't be much longer before we get to the waterfall pool."
"Sure," Jake said and took her hand. "Let's go."
Jake and Neytiri started walking again. They did not notice the viperwolf moving along the branch toward a tree trunk.